LITA BEUKES COLE MEMORIAL CONSERVATION AWARD

05 Oct 20170

The Lita Beukes Cole Memorial Conservation Award was handed out at an event at Babylonstoren on 27 September 2017. The inaugural award ceremony coincided with the opening of the Lita Beukes garden, which honours the memory of this passionate botanist and conservationist from the Kamiesberg Region of Namaqualand.

Lita Beukes made a lifelong contribution to the protection of the flora and fauna of the area as well as demonstrating the important links between conservation, wise use of natural resources and enhanced livelihoods.

In his address, Matthew Norval, Chief Operations Officer of Wilderness Foundation Africa stated “It is appropriate to make this first award at the opening of the garden that now provides the perfect place for Lita’s beloved plant collection to grow and flourish. We are very proud to be associate with this initiative and look forward to many years of partnership”.

The annual award recognises conservation students, researchers or others who have made an outstanding contribution to the conservation of the Succulent Karoo and who share the same values that Lita stood for. The 2017 recipient was announced as Annelise Le Roux.

Annelise has made a lifelong contribution to the conservation of the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes in particular. Annelise remains actively involved in ongoing efforts to bring more land into the conservation estate and she is a valuable member of our team. Wilderness Foundation Africa would like to extend our thanks and congratulations to this deserving winner.